EA blows final whistle on FIFA Manager, gives it the red card

The letter, posted by the franchise's founder and designer
Gerald Köhler, explains the decision in greater detail:

"The football manager genre at this level of sophistication is
highly specialised and primarily played in two countries (England
and Germany), in which -- on top of everything -- one game has
practically dominated the market in recent years," said Köhler,
avoiding uttering the words "Football Manager".

"The niche market and general trend toward online and mobile
games were also contributing factors," he continued. "Moreover,
FM had reached a crossroads at which a new engine and/or
corresponding online technology would be the only way to give the
series a boost. When all these factors were evaluated, it led us to
the decision to blow the final whistle."

Which translates roughly as "we did a cost/benefit analysis and
it doesn't make sense to carry on trying to compete with what is
essentially a more popular and more enjoyable game."

The missive concludes by thanking playes for their time and
inviting fans to "go all out to expand and improve the game
wherever they can".